Here and hereinafter, by protected environment it is meant an environment where the atmosphere is controlled, through the monitoring of one or more parameters including temperature, humidity, dust content, pollutant content, in order to maintain the foreseen preservation conditions of the exhibits, and in which access to unauthorized personnel is prevented to prevent theft or damage of the exhibits.
In general, there are museum showcases that comprise a bell formed by transparent walls welded together, a base and a mechanism that allows lifting the bell with respect to the base.
The lifting mechanism should ensure easy and wide opening of the showcase, so that the interior thereof is easily accessible, to place or remove the treasures or for cleaning or maintenance.
To this end, it is known to use pantograph mechanisms for lifting the bell, having movable arms hinged both together and with the base and the bell simultaneously. Such mechanisms can be actuated manually, with an electric motor or a hydraulic motor (such as hydraulic cylinders) so that through the movement of the movable arms, they ensure the lifting of the bell in vertical direction with respect to the base itself of the showcase.
Generally, the actuation systems of the pantograph mechanisms of the showcase, such as the electric motor or hydraulic motor, are placed in the lateral end regions of the showcase base, where the respective arms of the mechanism to be actuated are also accommodated, so as not to be visible when the showcase is closed.
Therefore, a problem exists of placing, preferably in the showcase base, both the pantograph mechanisms and the actuation systems thereof, so as to occupy as little space as possible and ensure adequate opening of the showcase.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a museum showcase with features according to the claimed subject matter.
More in particular, the museum showcase comprises a base, a bell which can be lifted with respect to the base and pantograph mechanisms for lifting the bell having movable arms hinged together, lower arms hinged with the base and movable arms hinged with the bell, characterized in that lower arms of the pantograph mechanisms, which are hinged with the base, have a curvilinear configuration.
With these pantograph mechanisms having the lower arms with curvilinear configuration, it is easier to recover space otherwise occupied only by the actuation systems and at the same time an adequate opening of the showcase.
Preferably, the lower arms of the museum showcase have a concavity facing downwards.
Preferably, such lower arms of each pantograph mechanism define with their own curvilinear configuration a space in which a motor for the actuation of the pantograph mechanism is housed.
With this configuration, when closing the museum showcase, the lower arms of the pantograph mechanisms close up on the respective actuation system, thereby recovering the space between the actuation system and the lower legs of the museum showcase, thus ensuring a smaller overall footprint.
Preferably, the pantograph mechanisms are housed in the showcase, in lateral end regions of the base.
This housing allows making the pantograph mechanisms not visible when the showcase is closed, since the arms of the mechanisms are closed in the lateral end regions of the base, not visible to the observer from the outside.